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    Oklahoma State’s running back situation still work in progress

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    Oklahoma State's running back situation still work in progress

    Eric Bailey
    Tulsa World OSU Sports Reporter
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    Oklahoma State has shared the wealth at the running back position during nonconference games.
    Five players – Rodney Fields (143 rushing yards), Kalib Hicks (119), Freddie Brock IV (35), Sesi Vailahi (32) and Trent Howland (31) have seen action in 2025.
    But the rotating of players at the position against UT Martin, Oregon and Tulsa has clouded thoughts of a featured back heading into Saturday’s Big 12 opener against visiting Baylor.
    Fields (86 snaps) and Hicks (55) have gotten the most work in nonconference play, according to Pro Football Focus analytics through three games. Vailahi (24), Brock (20) and Howland (15) wrap up the category.
    OSU coach Mike Gundy was asked before the Tulsa game if he wanted to trim the rotation.
    “Well, we haven’t got that far yet. We haven’t been in position to say, ‘OK, one of these guys is taking over,'” Gundy said. “We are fortunate that we have a number of guys that we feel confident that can have success, but we’re not in a position to just say this guy is gonna take off with it yet through the first two weeks.”
    Howland, despite limited play, has the running back room’s top PFF grade for rushing at 72.8, which ranks 190th nationally.
    Hicks is behind at 71.6, followed by Fields (67.6), Vailahi (65.1) and Brock (56.0).
    OSU ranks No. 88 nationally (out of 132 schools) with a 74.0 grade in run production. That is No. 11 in the Big 12.
    The PFF grading key is a 0-100 scale where 60 is average, 70s are above average, 80s are good and 90s are elite.
    Breaking down PFF numbers from Oklahoma State’s 19-12 loss to visiting Tulsa:
    Offense
    72.0: The highest offensive grade was earned by Sam Jackson, who played 33 snaps as at wide receiver. His grade in the passing game (69.6) and run blocking (73.5) were also highest on the team.
    79: Highest number of snap counts taken by quarterback Zane Flores, left tackle Nuku Mafi, left guard Bob Schick, center Austin Kawecki, right guard Noah McKinney and right tackle Grant Seagren.
    61.4: Average grade of the offensive line with Seagren (65.5) earning the top mark. Kawecki had a 54.6 on the other end of the spectrum.
    87.2: McKinney’s mark in pass blocking set the standard for the offensive line. Kawecki’s 29.6 was the low mark.
    61.7: Kawecki was the offensive line’s top run blocker at 61.7. McKinney was fifth at 57.9.
    65: Five OSU players finished with a grade higher than 65.0: Jackson, Rodney Fields (70.7), tight end Will Monney (68.1), Seagren (65.5) and Flores (65.2).
    64: Josh Ford had the highest number of snaps in the tight-end room, followed by Monney (11). Ford also had OSU’s lowest overall offensive grade at 41.1 with PFF analytics showing pass blocking being an issue.
    Defense
    7: Players who graded higher than 70.0 include safety Dylan Smith (77.6), defensive end Jaleel Johnson (72.8), defensive tackle Iman Oates (72.7), linebacker Trip White (72.4), defensive end Malik Charles (71.0), defensive tackle Adam Kelley (71.0) and defensive tackle De’Marion Thomas (70.1).
    81.2: Safety Parker Robertson had the Cowboys’ top run defense grade. He finished with a career-high 15 tackles.
    3: Johnson and Wendell Gregory (66.9) each had two quarterback hits and a hurry to lead pressure on Tulsa’s pass game.
    16: Missed tackles by OSU, led by linebacker Bryan McCoy (4) and two each from safety David Kabongo and cornerbacks Landyn Cleveland and Kale Smith.
    60: Four players logged more than 60 snaps against TU: Dylan Smith (68), McCoy (63), Cam Smith (62) and Brandon Rawls (61).
    eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
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    Eric Bailey
    Tulsa World OSU Sports Reporter
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